System of treating hydrocarbon distillates and apparatus used in connection therewith



Nov. 19, 1929. c; w. sTRATFoRD 1,733,018

SYSTEM 0E TREATING HYDROCARBON DISTILLATES AND APPARATUS USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH Filed Nov. 26', 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet' 1 v, a /Ar/g l/aylejaJp/)H Fr Nov- 19, 1929. C. w. STRATFQRD 1,736,018

SYSTEM OF TREA'I'ING` HYDROGARBON DISTILLATES AND APPARATUS USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH Filed Nov. 26, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 19, 1929. c. w. sTRATFoRD 1,736,018

SYSTEM OF TREATING HYDROCARBON DISTILLATES AND d APPARATUS USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH Filed NOV. 26, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet Y 5 Patented Nov. '19, 192.9

'UNITED STATI-:s1 PATENT .OFI-Ice WALCOTT STBATFORD, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA SYSTEM F TBEATING HYDROCABBON DISTILLATES AND APPARATUS USED CONNEGTION THEBEWITH i' Application led November 26, 1926. erial'rlo. 150,678.

. This invention relates to improvements in a system of treating hydrocarbon distillates for the purpose of removing color bearing, resinous and unsaturated bodies, or other ob-/ jectionable compounds from distillate such as gasoline, pressure distillate, engine distillates, kerosene or-other hydrocarbon products.

In the treatment of hydrocarbons to elim- ",inate sulphur and other objectionable compounds the oil is given a chemical treatment or treatment with an agent which has selective chemical ainity or physical solvent pow"- ers, or adsorptive characteristics` with ref erence to the bodies to be removed. When oxygen'or air is present during the chemical treatment wasteful polymerization of otherwise useful constituents occurs. 7

The advantages ofthe present -system lie chiefly in the utilization of a small self-con- 20 tained apparatus for a vgiven capacity, hence low first cost .and the employment of contactors or mixers adapted'to rapidly mix to a remarkable degree of intimacy the hydrocar; bonand treating material. Furthermore the system affords an apparatusl by means of which the treating rates may be regulated and are adjustable as to contact time. The separation after treatment is rapid and complete and' the hydrocarbon distillate is not in con- 80 necessary to effect proper treatment or suiciently longv to cause objectionable polymerization.

v Fig. 1 is a iiow tem.

Fig. 2 is an elevational detail, with parts in section, of the contactor and settler-or separator. 0

F Fig. 3 is a view taken along the .line 3-3 1n ig. 2. v

Fig. 4 is an yenlargedsectional view of the contactor shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a view taken along the line 5-5 vin Fig. 4. I t ,l

Fig. is a view taken along the line 6 6 inF1,.4. g Refrring to the drawings and particularly i to Fig. 1, at the bottom of the sheet'are shown fresh acid, spent acid, spent-,soda and fresh soda reservoirs', designated as 1, 2, 3 and/.t

diagram of the treating systov tact with the acid for al longer period than respectively. Above the reservoirs or tanks are pumps for handling the acid, soda and dlstlllate; these umps are designatd as P1 to P'7 inclusive. um s l?,L l and P2 distribute the fresh acid throug the system. Pumps P6 and P7 distribute the soda solution; Pumpsl l?3 andP4 supply the hydrocarbon distillate to the contactors. vPump P5 `lischarges spent acid or'spent soda from 4the system to storage. P5 may also be usedior pumping out hydrocarbon distillate-from the system orrevacuating any' stage of the system without disturbing the operation. About the respective pumps P, to P., is shown reverse 'flow manifoldlng for .evacuating the system of the different liquids.

Above the set of pumps are low contro mechanism designated as FC1 F02 FC3 and FC4. The particular details of the mechanism form no part of the present invention the interposition of the iiow control mechanism in the lines serving solely to maintain proper operating conditions on the inlet lines to the contactors.

Above the contactors is a second system of .flow controls also designated as FC1 to FC, a1nc1usive,the functions of lthese being to regulate flow of fresh treating agent to contac-y tors. A

The sepa-rate contactors in which the hydrocarbon distillates are treated with treating agents and which will hereafter be described in more detail, are designated as C1, C2, Cs and C4. Connected to the discharge from .the separate contactors are the settlers or separators',

hereinafter more fully described and desigi nated in the flow chart .as S1, S2, S, and' S4. Each of the separators are equipped with level control mechanismdesignated as LC, LC2 L03 and L04. v

To facilitate reading ofthe iow chart and to make the understandin of the system vore comprehensive, certain o the lines havelheen` designated and arrows lplaced upon the. lines to show the direction of the How of the liquid withinthe lines. v

The s stem is so connected that the hydrocarbon istillate may be treated successively by separate acid and soda treatments or the distillate mav be given an initial treat of soda and successive acid 'treats with a final soda treat. j

It is recognized that it is common practice to successively treat hydrocarbon distillates contactor comprises a casing or shell, designated as a in Fig. 4, which is jacketed as shown at 7 The jacket surrounding the shell is spaced from the shell by means of a spiral spacer pipe 8, which directs the flow of water which is circulated throughv the jacket from the inlet line 9 to the discharge line 10. An important feature of the cool# ing water circulation is the fact that the coolest water is supplied to the jacket at a point substantially where the acid and oil first contact and mix and where the greatest heat will occur, as hereinafter pointed out. Positioned within the shell 5"L is an open ended flow directing tube 11 supported by vertical support vanes 11a.

Mounted above the contactor 5 and bolted 1 to the removable head 12l is a motor 13 supiported upon a suitable standard. This notor is directly connected through a shaft Y`=v14: to a shrouded propeller 15 positioned in the lower part of the flow tube 11) The lower extremity of the shaft 14 is held in place on a floating ball bearing 16. The blades of the propeller are so pitched as to cause a downward circulation of the oil .through the flow tube, thus the oil, introduced through the inlet pipe 6, completely fills the contactor, is picked up by the propeller and isvv driven at high velocity through theflow tube.

f The fresh treating agents are supplied by their respective pumps and introduced into the bottom of the contactors through a line esignated as 17. In-Fig. 2 ofthe drawings t A@fisline is connected to the settler or separator, but it is -understood from the vfiow ,chart that the initial stage of treatment will receive its' supply of treating agent direct from the supply pump. The treating agent on entering the bottom ofthe contactor'is picked 4 up by a centrifugal pump 18 which discharges vthe contactor.

it at high velocit through a plurality of holes 19, shown in igs. 4 and 6. These inlet holesare drilled through the bottom 2O of It will'be noted also that this bottom is shaped to reverse the iow of the oil as it comes through the flow tube in order to direct the mixture in an upward direction in the vliquids to partially separate from the lighter because of centrifugal force. This centrifugal force will project the heavier liquid through a series of radial holes or vents 21 drilled in the How tube, and thus form a screen across the up-fiowing liquid rising in the annular space between the outside of the flow tube and the shell of the contactor,y again mixing with it. The high pressure at the discharge side of the propeller contributes to the formation of the screen by the'projection of the liquids through the radial holes.

. There is also a local cyclic movement around the shroud of the propeller and a zone of high turbulence existing between the moving, rim of the propeller and the flow tube which are important factors in promoting the intimacy of mixture and dispersion attained.

Below the cross feed discharge vents 21 or holes through which the liquids are projected,is an element 22 termed an unwinding head; this head comprises a plurality of vanes positioned to reduce the rotation or spiral flow of the liquid produced by the propeller to a vertical flow; the lpitch of these blades or vanes is -suiicient to redirect the flow so that the liquid is directed vertical- 1y .ontol the bottom of the contactor where it meets the treating agents rising through vthe, holes 19. To produce la straight-line flow radial vanes 23 in the bottom of the con- ,tactor'further prevent rotary movement of the liquid. The object of eliminating rotation of the liquid vmixture isv to cause it to lowat uniform velocity in cross-section yandthus avoid low pressure slow fiowing eddies where separation of liquids and coalescence of treating agents occur. f A

The bottom of the contactor causes the mixed liquids lo flow upwardly in the vannular space outside the flow tube. The vanes supporting the tube further prevent any tendency toward rotation of the liquid in this 1 being combined in the bottom of the contactor rise as a mixture and isms'ubjected to i' annular space. The treating agents and oil mixture rises and flows over the of the ow'tube and again passes downwardly as i previously described. A portion'of the mixthe outlet pipe24.

.ture to an amount comparable to that charged will pass around the baille 39 and be discharged from the top of the contactor through This-pipe 24 extends into the central part of the separator 2 5 where it divides into .a header 26, the latter connected into a pipe 27 Whose ends are closed and along the 'top of whichjare a plurality of perforations 28. Thepipe 27 is positioned in top of a hood 29, whichis open at the bottom, as shown j in Fig. 3.

In -the'top of the separatoris a pipev30 having closed ends, along the upper Iprtion of which is a narrow slit or a plura ty of holes into which the oil overflows passing thence vto the line 30 and outfthrough the discharge line 31. Connected intothe bottom of the separator is a header'32 into which theline 32a is connected; this line is con- 'trolled by a valve 33 and a by-pass line 34, automatically controlled bythe liquid level device in the line 32", which` manipulates the valve36 toV maintain constant llevel of the heavier treating agents in the header 32.

I The lioat in the liquid level control 35 is such that it'will float upon the heavier acid or soda solution, but will sink in the lighter distillate, thus theseparated treating material is maintained at a level in the header 32, while-.the liquid distillate may lill thev separator and overflow into the upper'discharge line "30. :Ihe discharge apertures or slots through whlchl the liquid is withdrawn to the line 30 are shown at 37 in Fig. 3.

In operation the combined liquid treating material and oil pass from the contactor through the line 24 andare discharged from the' top ventsor holes in the line 27 beneath the hood 29. The mixture will flow downwardly until it reaches the lower lips of the hood, shown in Fig. 3,'and during-this slow downward flow .the heavirtreating material will separate by gravity, from the lighter distillate. Passing the lower lips of the hood the distillate rises to the discharge pipe 30, the flow in the separator, as s hownJin Fig.

3,' by the arrows, is very slow so that :theI

treating material which has a higher specific gravitythan the distillate is separated out and gravitates to the lower header 32 while the distillatefrises and overflows into the-l slot or narrow slotted apertures 37 in the discharge pipe 30. The primary object of introducing the mixture from the contactor lthrough a manifold` and discharging it through a plurality of holes is to distribute it in a unifor1n-qantity per unit settling area and to reduce its velocity of iow. The' velocity of ilow is continuously'reduced until the liquidrises to the position' ofV greatest ization is re clross-section of the liquid body in the sett er.

vFurthermore the method of withdrawal through oriiices in a long pipe is adapted to maintain a low outflow velocity. The advantage ofthe low velocity flow is to'attain mini'- mum disturbance to a separation of the liquids by gravity. l v i f The treating materialfeither acid or soda solution separated out in the container 25, is directed through the line 32a-to the next succeeding contactor and that discharged fromthe final separator goes to spent storage designated as tanks 2 and 3 in Fig. 1. In the top of the settler 4and from the upper portion of the accelerating /hood 29 are air.

vent lines 38. v g

In' describing theO mechanism shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5, one single stage of contacting and vseparation has been detailed, and

the progress of the oil and treatingv material set out. It is understood, however, that the contacting and separation stages are separate stages which are integral portions of the system shown in the iow sheet. A single contacting stage being designated by the numerals C1 C2 C3 and C4; whilefthe'separating ,or settling stagesin which the acid orI soda are removed from the distillate are deslgnated as-S, S2 S3 and S4. The novelty in t e treatment lies particularly in the rapid,

added and agitated'with-air; turbulent tube methods in which the treating material and the hydrocarbon distillates. are circulated through a plurality of tubes having fric-Q tion return bent connections and finally set@` tle'd in afstagnant pool. Batlle tubes and me` chanicalmixing devices have been used, as in thebcentrifugal pumpv mixing system, and

separation by centrifuging. The disadvantages of the centrifugal vpump mixin method lies primarily in the poor control o 'the con-L tact time and separation of the treating agent u from the hydrocarbon distillate because of the 'centri'ugalforce in the ymixing pump, also high mvestment and'power cost are restrictive factors.- The use of homogenizers vis, ef@- fective for combining the distillate with the liquids, blitz the capacity of these devices are A relativelylimited, power consumption lhigh','

' In this system acid is made to flow counter.

l current' to the How of the hydrocarbon distilland separation.

ate for the purpose of economy of acid and better treating of the distillate. The use o f the counter-current acid flow in the system re-\ duces undesirable and wasteful polymerization of hydrocarbons and gives easy control of acid treating rate. Contact time is directlyv dependent upon the rate of charge and the volume of the contactor.

i In normal operation the fresh acid is introduced to the third contactor or C3. beingseparated in the third separator Saand passing thence to C2 where it is again separated in S2 and finally being directed to the first contator and after separation in S1 passing to spent acid storage. 'The distillate on the other hand passes successively from C1 to S1 thence to C2 and S2 and to C3 and S3 and {inally into C4 and S4,`the final stage of contacting and separation being with caustic soda, vor similar alkali treatment. The fresh soda is chargedto C4 or the fourth contactor and is separated in S44 passing thence to spent soda storage while the finished distillate is discharged from S4 through a line correspond ing to the line designated-as 31 in Fig. 2.

The treating li uids utilized are preferably sulphuric acid, Il12SO4, caustic soda, or sodium plumbite, sodium or calcium hypochlorite 'water H2O, or other acids or similar chemical agents, which have the ability of removing objectionable impurities from the hydrocarbon distillate. The system is not limited to' any treating agent, the novelty lying particularly in the .method of contacting In place of the separator shown a centrifuge or centrifugal separating means may be used in connection with the confactor.

I claim as my invention:

1.- A contactor for treating hydrocarbon oils, comprising a casing having top inlet and discharge pipes, ports for introducing a treating liquid, -a cylinder open at both ends and providedwith holes near its lower end supported therein, a propeller within the cylinder for causing a continuous flow of the liquid through and around the open ended cylinder and the holes in the cylinder below the propeller permitting passage of the heavier liquids projected from the propeller by centrifugal force to pass therethrough with considerable velocity into the upward oils, comprising a casing 'stantially'lthe lowest point of the circulating stream. v

Qs-A contactor for treating hydrocarbon aving top inlet and discharge pipes, ports for introducing a treating liquid, a cylinder fopen at both ends and provided with holes near its lower end supported therein, a propeller within the cylinder for causing acontinuous flow of the liquid through and around the open ended cylinder and thev holes in the cylinder below the propeller permitting passage of the heavierliquids projected from the propeller by centrifugal force to pass therethrough with considerable velocity into the upward flowing stream outside of the cylinder, and an unwintling head below the prdpeller for eliminating the spin from the liquid stream.

3. A c onta'ctor for treating hydrocarbon oils, comprising a casing having top inlet'and discharge pipes, ports for introducing a treating liquid, a cylinder open at both ends and provided with holes near its lower end supported therein, a propeller within said cylinder for causing a continuous flow of the liquid through and around the open ended cylinder and the holes in the cylinder below the propeller permitting passage of the heavierllqulidsprojectedfromthepropellerbly centrifugal force to pass therethrough with considerable Velocity into the u ward owing streams outside ofthe cylin er, the c Al" inder .being supported within the casing y flues extending substantially the length of the cylinder and adapted to preventl vspinning of the rising stream 1n the annular space between the cylinder and the casing.

' 4. The contacting step in acontinuous process for treating oil, comprising` rapidly c'ir-v culating the liquid oil in a continuous stream through and around a hollow cylinderin a closed container', introducing the liquid'A oil to be treated to the hollow cylinder or vortex of the circulating fluid, withdrawing sub.

stantially an equal volume by stripping uniformly the liquid at the peripheral upper surface of the circulating oil and adding a -treating liquid to the circulating stream.

5. The contactingstep in a continuous procF` ess for treating oil, comprising rapidly circulatin the liquid oil in a continuous stream` throng and around a hollow cylinder in a closed container, introducing the liquid oil to be treated to the hollow cylinder or vortex of the circulating fluid, withdrawing substantially an equal volume by stripping uniformly the liquid atthe peripheral upper surface of the circulatingoil and adding a treating liquid near thebottom of the circulating `ing a closed casing, a tube open at bothends positioned therein and having a common axis therewith, said 'tube forming an annular space with the outer casing, an impeller within the tube for creating flow of the liquid downwardly in the tube and upwardly 'in the annular space, an inlet adapted to discharge the liquid fed to the inner tube, and means positioned at the top of the casing for stripping olf the liquid in substantially equal volume to the liquid charged. i

7. A contactor for treating oils comprising a closed casing, a tube open at both ends positioned therein and having a common axis therewith, said tube forming an annular space with the outer casing, an impeller within the tube for creating flow of the liquid downwardly in the tube and upwardly in the annular s ace, an inlet adapted to discharge the liquid ed to the inner tube, and means positioned at the top of the casing for stripping uniformly from the total circumferential surface of the up-flowstream a volume of liquid e ual to the in-feed. C ARLES WALCOTT STRATFORD. 

